For pre-school children it is difficult to specify special educational needs exactly because they are young and their needs tend to change. While it may not be certain exactly what problems a pre-schooler has, there may be concerns that the child will have special educational needs at the time s/he is due to start school.
Typical special educational needs for school-aged children are: general learning difficulties affecting all aspects of performance, specific learning difficulties affecting particular aspects of performance, language and communication difficulties, sensory difficulties such as visual and hearing impairment, physical difficulties, behavioural difficulties and complications arising from medical problems.
I think my child has a serious problem. How do I get him/her assessed by an educational psychologist?
The Educational Psychology Service does not accept invitations to assess children (referrals) directly from parents. The reason for this is that our staffing is limited and we have to set criteria that decide whether or not we will accept a referral. The key criterion is that the child in question is not making satisfactory progress in terms of learning or that the child is at risk of not making satisfactory progress. All our referrals have to be made by professionals employed by the Health and Social Services Trusts (if a pre-schooler) or by the principal of the school (if a pupil).
If your child has not started school and you think s/he has special educational needs or you think s/he will have problems when school starts talk to your family health visitor. You can also speak to any other employee of the Health and Social Services Trust who knows your child (for example, the occupational therapist, physiotherapist and/or speech and language therapist).
If your child is a pupil in school and you believe a psychologist might help, tell the teachers about your concerns.
If your child is a pupil in school, we recommend that you speak again to your child’s teachers. All schools are required to keep a register of pupils with special educational needs. The children’s names are grouped in stages according to the degree of difficulty they face. Your teachers will explain if your child’s name is recorded on this register and at what stage. If your child is registered at Stage 2 or above, you can ask to see his/her education plan. The teachers can also provide you with the date set for the review of your child’s education plan. At this meeting it may be agreed that your child should be referred to our service or the school principal may offer to talk about your child’s difficulties with the psychologist.
We hope that, by following this advice, your concerns will be met to your satisfaction. However, we have a duty to inform you that you can contact the Educational Psychology Service directly, either by telephone or by email, to inform us that you consider your child has special educational needs and you would like these needs assessed.
If I agree to a psychologist assessing my child will this mean a move to special school?
No, it will not always mean a move to special provision. Only some of the children assessed by educational psychologists eventually go to special school. For example, it is possible that after the assessment your psychologist will find that your child does not have significant special educational needs. If your child is found to have significant problems, the NEELB is dedicated to considering whether his/her special educational needs can be met in a mainstream school before considering any alternatives.
How long will it take before my child is assessed?
It depends. On average pre-school children are assessed within four months. For children of school age, it is the school’s principal who decides which children are to be assessed and in what order. Each school receives an amount of psychologist time based on the total number of pupils attending so it may be necessary for you to be patient. Talk to the school principal if you think you and your child have been waiting too long.
